(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a transfer device.
(ii) Related Art
Some existing electrophotographic image forming apparatuses form an image, which is a fixed toner image, by transferring a toner image onto a sheet that is transported to a transfer region and fixing the toner image onto the sheet by using a fixing unit that is disposed downstream of the transfer region in the transport direction of the sheet.
If the sheet, on which the image is to be formed, is long in the transport direction, it may occur that the toner image is still being transferred onto a trailing-end portion of the sheet at a timing at which the leading end of the sheet enters the fixing unit. In this case, vibration due to an impact that occurs when the leading end of the sheet enters the fixing unit may be transmitted to the trailing-end portion of the sheet to which the toner image is being transferred. Then, transfer failure may occur and the image quality may be reduced.